"Robotics involves the design, construction, operation, and use of robots."
The study of mechanical and electrical systems that are designed to perform tasks autonomously or under remote control. Includes sensors, actuators, and control systems for robotic systems.
Introduction to Robotics: A general overview of what robotics is, the history of robotics, and why robotics is an important field.
Fundamentals of Electronics: Basic electronic concepts such as voltage, current, resistance, power, and electrical circuits. Robotics is heavily dependent on electronic circuits; understanding this subject is a critical foundation for the study of robotics.
Programming: A foundational topic in robotics, programming involves writing code to control and operate robots in a range of applications. Knowledge of programming languages such as Python, C++, and other high-level programming languages is very important.
Sensors: Sensors are devices that detect physical and environmental changes and send input signals to a control system. In robotics, there are many different types of sensors, including proximity sensors, ultrasonic sensors, IR sensors, Line following sensors, etc.
Actuators: Actuators are devices that transform electrical signals into movement, allowing robots to interact with the physical world. Commonly used actuators in robotics include motors, linear actuators, and pneumatic cylinders.
Power Supply: Power is critical for the operation of robots, as it is the energy that is needed to run electronic circuits, motors, and other mechanisms. Knowledge of power supplies and power management is an essential aspect of robotics.
Control Systems: Control systems involve using feedback loops to regulate the behavior of robots. This a complex topic that requires the integration of software, hardware, and control theory.
Machine Vision: The ability to perceive and understand the environment is essential for many applications of robotics. Machine vision involves using cameras and other sensors to analyze visual input and make decisions based on the data.
Robotics architecture: Robotics architecture is the overall design of the robot including the hardware and software architecture. Understanding robotics architecture is critical for designing and building a functional robot.
Machine Learning: Machine learning algorithms allow robots to learn from experience and adapt to new situations. Familiarity with machine learning techniques and algorithms is vital for future robotics development.
Operating Systems: Operating systems provide a platform for robot software to run on. A well-equipped robotics engineer must have knowledge of operating systems like ROS for efficient development.
Mechatronics: Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary engineering field that includes mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. A good understanding in mechatronics is required to integrate these multiple fields to design and manufacture robotics systems.
Navigation: Navigation is the technique by which robots determine their location, movement within an environment, and how they should move. Mapping, SLAM, and path planning/navigation are crucial topics of interest in robotics navigation.
Kinematics: Kinematics is the study of motion and abstract concepts like velocity, acceleration, and position. Knowledge of kinematics allows robotics experts to model and predict the motion of robots.
Mobile robotics: Mobile robotics is the study of robots that can move freely and effortlessly. This field of study includes designing and constructing robots like drones or autonomous ground vehicles.
Human-robot interaction: Human-robot interaction includes the study of how humans and robots can work together, how humans interact with robots and how robots can interact with humans. This field is crucial in designing robots that can work alongside humans in safe, efficient, and effective ways.
Ethics in Robotics: Robotics Technology can have ethical implications. Aspects like safety, privacy, transparency, and accountability in robotics require consideration.
Robotic manipulation: Robotic manipulation involves robots interacting with objects in the environment. This is an intricate topic involving the mechanics of manipulators, sensors, and control algorithms.
Cognitive Robotics: Adoption of cognitive architecture to robots to enable them to function and interact intelligently with their environment. It includes modeling the human perception and an understanding in cognitive architectures like Soar.
Computer Vision: Computer Vision is a multidisciplinary field involving specialized cameras and other sensors to interpret, analyze, and understand visual data. This field is vital for developing systems and programs that enable robots to navigate their environments.
Industrial Robotics: Used in manufacturing plants for various tasks like welding, painting, assembly, and material handling.
Medical Robotics: Used in medical procedures or surgeries such as minimally invasive surgery, laparoscopy, and telesurgery.
Agricultural Robotics: Used in agriculture to automate tasks like harvesting, seeding, spraying, and monitoring crops.
Military Robotics: Used in the military for various tasks such as bomb disposal, surveillance, and drone attacks.
Service Robotics: Used in daily life like cleaning, cooking, and gardening.
Space Robotics: Used in space exploration and research, such as space probes, rovers, and satellites.
Educational Robotics: Used in education to teach students about robotics and programming.
Entertainment Robotics: Used in the entertainment industry for various purposes like theme parks, exhibitions, and events.
Domestic Robotics: Used in home and personal care like automated vacuum cleaners and security systems.
Underwater Robotics: Used for underwater exploration and research, including oil and gas exploration, marine biology, and environmental monitoring.
Humanoid Robotics: Used for designing robots resembling humans, such as ASIMO, which is designed to perform various human-like tasks.
Micro/Nano Robotics: Used to create tiny robots that can perform tasks like surgery, transport drugs to cancer cells, and clean up oil spills.
Rehabilitation Robotics: Used in healthcare to support the recovery of individuals with disabilities or injuries.
Cognitive Robotics: Used to create robots that can interpret and respond to human emotions.
Autonomous Robotics: Used to create robots that can operate independently without human intervention, like self-driving cars.
"The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans."
"Robotics integrates fields of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, information engineering, mechatronics engineering, electronics, biomedical engineering, computer engineering, control systems engineering, software engineering, mathematics, etc."
"Robots can be used in many situations for many purposes."
"Today, many are used in dangerous environments (including inspection of radioactive materials, bomb detection and deactivation), manufacturing processes, or where humans cannot survive (e.g., in space, underwater, in high heat, and clean up and containment of hazardous materials and radiation)."
"Robots can take any form, but some are made to resemble humans in appearance."
"Such robots attempt to replicate walking, lifting, speech, cognition, or any other tasks mainly performed by a human."
"Many of today's robots are inspired by nature, contributing to the field of bio-inspired robotics."
"Certain robots require user input to operate, while other robots function autonomously."
"Research into the functionality and potential uses of robots did not grow substantially until the 20th century."
"It has been frequently assumed by various scholars, inventors, engineers, and technicians that robots will one day be able to mimic human behavior and manage tasks in a human-like fashion."
"Today, robotics is a rapidly growing field, as technological advances continue."
"Researching, designing, and building new robots serve various practical purposes, whether domestically, commercially, or militarily."
"Many robots are built to do jobs that are hazardous to people, such as defusing bombs, finding survivors in unstable ruins, and exploring mines and shipwrecks."
"Robotics is also used in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) as a teaching aid."
"Robotics integrates fields of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, information engineering, mechatronics engineering, electronics, biomedical engineering, computer engineering, control systems engineering, software engineering, mathematics, etc."
"Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of electronics and communication, computer science and engineering."
"Many are used in dangerous environments (including inspection of radioactive materials, bomb detection and deactivation), manufacturing processes, or where humans cannot survive."
"Robots can do various jobs that a human might not be able to do."
"Robots are designed to help and assist humans."